Kobe says he wants to be traded

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant asked to be traded from the Lakers on Wednesday, a day after calling the team's front office "a mess."

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant told ESPN radio. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"

Bryant, who helped the team win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years remaining on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted what he called a Lakers insider as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

The story lines that have engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers in the last week hit a crescendo Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said he would welcome a trade.

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"

Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind.

"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."

Earlier in the day, Bryant said team owner Jerry Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.

The issues between Bryant and the Lakers have reached a boil, beginning with Bryant voicing his displeasure with the club's direction, his suggestion that Jerry West should return to fix things, West's statement that he has no intention of undermining GM/good friend Mitch Kupchak, and, unrelated but bizarre in its timing, Buss' arrest early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Bryant was left "beyond furious" by a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times that read, "as a Lakers insider notes, it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from Shaquille O'Neal that got them in this mess."

O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season, and the long-held belief has been that the deteriorating relationship between O'Neal and Bryant was a factor in O'Neal's departure.

In response to the Times' story, Bryant, interviewed by Smith for a Philadelphia Inquirer column, said Buss "called a meeting with me after he spoke with Jim Gray [of ESPN] to talk with him about Shaq's future in the middle of the 2004 season.

"He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here [in Newport Beach, Calif.] across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel," Bryant told Smith. "I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: 'Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he's getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait.

"This is my decision. It's independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.'"

"Dr. Buss said that," Bryant told Smith. "And I haven't said anything for years because I've always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves."

Reached afterward, O'Neal told Smith that he believed his former teammate to be beyond reproach.

"I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent.

"I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."

Buss was unavailable for comment Tuesday, as was Kupchak. Buss, 74, was booked early Tuesday for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.

The Lakers missed the playoffs in the first season after O'Neal was dealt for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round pick, and have been eliminated in the first round the last two seasons. O'Neal and the Heat won the NBA championship last season.

"Sure, Shaq and I had our issues," Bryant told Smith. "So what! We always did and we won three titles. That doesn't change what was told to me. It doesn't change the fact I never, ever, said to get rid of him."

While Bryant re-signed for $136 million for seven years the day after O'Neal was traded, he has pushed for trades -- he wanted Carlos Boozer, then Jason Kidd, then Ron Artest -- that the Lakers were unable to pull off. Meanwhile, Odom has undergone shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp in October; Kwame Brown has undergone reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and might not be ready for the start of camp.

And now Bryant, who reportedly has made it clear to the Lakers that he may see fit to terminate his contract in two years, has told Smith he won't continue to wait for Buss to build the roster around him.

"Promises made to make this team better have not been kept," Bryant told Smith. "So where does that leave me?"

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant implied again that he wants to be traded, writing on his Web site that "the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."

The statement posted Sunday on kb24.com was the latest in a recent series of sometimes inconsistent comments from Bryant about whether he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

"When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere. But, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING," the two-time scoring champion wrote.

"The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."

The 28-year-old Bryant, a nine-time All Star, has four years left on his contract -- but he can terminate it following the 2008-09 season.

Bryant last month voiced frustration at Lakers management and publicly requested he be traded after the team was eliminated by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs. Though he said nothing could change his mind, Bryant later backed off after speaking with coach Phil Jackson.

Bryant wrote Sunday on his Web site that the Lakers, owned by Jerry Buss, are not supporting him with players the team needs to win championships.

"The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent," he wrote. "I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series."

Buss, who signed Bryant to a seven-year, $136.4 million contract in 2004, issued a statement two weeks ago stating, "We will continue to pursue every avenue possible to improve our team with him as the cornerstone."

I still think it's all a ploy to make 100% sure the lakers go after a big name free agent this offseason. Vince Carter anyone?

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

Originally Posted by RAMMAN68

Just think of all the quality players they can get for this premadonna. I've grown very tired of the selfish Kobe, he needs to go for the sake of the franchise.

Yep, the alledged cell phone video just could be the last straw. Kobe is just bad news all around. He tries to put on the good guy persona and supportive teammate, but he was exposed long ago and this latest drama will once again show the true dark side of his nature.

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

Originally Posted by r8rh8rmike

Yep, the alledged cell phone video just could be the last straw. Kobe is just bad news all around. He tries to put on the good guy persona and supportive teammate, but he was exposed long ago and this latest drama will once again show the true dark side of his nature.

Your absolutely right Carlos, the Kobe era in LA needs to end.

I just don't think the rest of the team can really count on him. Remember when everyone complained about him being a ball hog? So what dose he do, he passes the ball every chance he gets just to spite the coaches and his teammates. I can imagine there are a lot of players who would love to play for the Lakers.

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

Im Off the fence I have defended this @#!#$!%$#! long enough. selfish little punk with a big mouth. He needs to go now!!! If that means rebuilding then so be it we rebuild. Holding a team hostage with as much tradition as the Lakers F U Kobe.

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

Well as of right now there is a 4 way trade in the works that would put KG in L.A. Kobes camp said it changes nothing. So if we get KG we need to get Chauncy billups, Im all for rebuilding the team around KG and watching Kobe suffer somewhere else. L.A will and always has built championship squads with or without that little punk.

Re: Kobe says he wants to be traded

Most of the people I know are getting more disgusted with the NBA with each new prima-donna that spouts off and makes demands of their clubs and/or creates another child with women who are not their wives.